The Giants are currently last in the NL West with a record of 35-57 this season, but Stanton is a long-term asset to say the least — he is currently in Year 3 of a heavily backloaded 13-year, $325 million mega-deal where the earliest out is a player opt-out after 2020. And while San Francisco already has one of the higher payrolls in the league, pathways to future flexibility exist (such as by declining Matt Cain’s $21 million team option for 2018, for example). They also need to start thinking about long-term solutions in right field with Hunter Pence aging and only under contract for one more season.

As for the Marlins, who are up for sale, they have recently been flirting with the idea of trading Stanton, and the four-time All-Star slugger himself doesn’t appear pleased with the direction of the franchise. Perhaps a move to a team with better infrastructure and a better recent history of competing like the Giants would be what convinces Stanton to waive his no-trade clause.